


Shots?

by Skye_La



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Dancing, Drunk Emma, F/F, F/M, Inspired by Music, Jukeboxes, Soulmates, Suggestive Themes, Swan Queen Week, Swan Queen Week 2015, drunk regina, drunk!Regina, drunk!emma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-29
Updated: 2015-01-29
Packaged: 2018-03-09 15:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3254228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skye_La/pseuds/Skye_La
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Henry finds the library of empty books, Emma takes Regina for those shots she promised.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shots?

"I made you a promise and I intend to keep it" Emma smiled at Regina and she returned it. Henry looked between them, beaming.

"So now we have a good reason for those shots!" Emma said, with a cheeky smile.

"Sounds good to me" Henry said, hopefully.

"Yeah nice try" Regina said "you'll be spending the night with The Charmings I think"

 

 

"I think I've been here once to inspect it for a license" Regina said, descending the steps to The Rabbit Hole, making sure not to touch the sticky banister.

"Well, I guess you already know what it's like, you created it" Emma followed less carefully.

"Yes I did, but I've found people don't like to be reminded of that" Regina said loud enough for Emma to hear but quiet enough to be drowned out by the music growing more intense as they descended.

The scene that opened up in front of them was an interesting one. People played pool and drank, the bar was busy with people, there were others on the dance floor. Emma saw people here she hardly ever saw in town and those she regularly locked behind bars at the station.

"What are we drinking?" Emma asked. Regina shrugged, she was surveying the scene for herself 

"I don't know what's appropriate. This is your party" she replied

Emma laughed at her phrasing and headed for the bar. She scanned the short cocktail list, knowing the limitations of the bartenders and Regina's hatred of impropriety. Regina liked wine so probably wouldn’t appreciate the vinegar they passed off as vintage here. She ordered beer that she knew was decent.

She turned to watch Regina standing at the jukebox, smiling at something. The flashing lights illuminated her face and for a moment Emma saw the young woman that Snow had known. The lines of hurt on her face seemed to melt away. Her smile was unselfconscious as The Isley Brothers began playing. She looked up for Emma who motioned for her to come back.

"Shots on the house" Robbie said nervously putting them down on the bar, wondering if this was some kind of impromptu sheriff and mayor inspection. They clinked their glasses and sank the shots. Emma passed Regina her drink.

"From the bottle?" Regina asked looking at it like Emma had just passed her a live bomb.

"It's my party" Emma said, tapping Regina's bottle with hers and drinking. Regina frowned at her and drank reluctantly. She looked at the bottle label.

"That's actually ok.” She said “You wouldn't believe the stuff these people drink in the enchanted forest" she waved around the club.

Michael Jackson started playing and people flocked to the dance floor.

"Is this you as well?" Emma asked, drowning in her broken misconceptions of the other woman’s taste in music. Regina took her hand and pulled her over to the dance floor. For a moment Emma stood stock still staring at the woman she thought she knew.

"Aside from hot showers, this is easily the best thing about this realm" Regina said unwinding before Emma’s eyes.

‘She even dances like a normal person’ Emma thought. ‘I don't know what I expected. Weird enchanted forest dancing or something.’ Emma drank again and swayed with the music.

"Mama say mama sah mama cusa!" Regina sang along and clapped, having left her drink somewhere. Emma looked around her to see if anyone else was seeing what she was, this woman had transformed before her. No one paid them much attention and she looked back at Regina.

"Fuck it" Emma said. She drained her beer, balanced it on a ledge and danced with Regina.

Good Golly Miss Molly came and went, Jackie Wilson Said and As all played. Emma was astounded at Regina's choices that seemed to dominate the entire evening (‘at least that’s like her’ she thought). The drinks flowed too. Emma noticed Regina get sadder the more she danced. She smiled less and her eyes were closed more often than not. Emma listened to the lyrics and imagined Regina was thinking about Robin as she sang them. She seemed to drift off into her own world.

Emma took Regina's hand and she opened her eyes, as if waking up from a dream. Emma recognised the pain there that she had so often seen in her. She sang the words to her.

"Until the ocean covers every mountain high" she crooned. Regina smiled and danced with her. Emma lifted Regina's arm and did a little spin underneath it. Regina smiled and let Emma curl her around too. They danced like that for a while. Robbie appeared with more drinks. They clinked again, as they had been doing for every drink for some reason.

"Until the day that you are me and I am you" they shouted at each other, laughing at the absurdity of the idea. Emma felt happy and drunk and like she could feel the ache in Regina’s heart from where she stood. She felt she understood it better than anyone could.

 

"That was actually fun" Regina said as they walked home from the club in a wiggly line.

"Uh. Thanks?" Emma said

"I mean I see these louts behaving like this-" Regina waved her hand vacantly

"Louts?" Emma interrupted

"Slobs. Oafs. Rabble" Regina said

"No I know what it means Regina, you shunn't call people that" she said, slurring slightly in the middle.

"Oh" Regina laughed "sorry I doubted your lexical aptitude, Miss Swan" Regna replied, not slurring at all but wandering perilously close to the edge of the sidewalk.

"I love it when you say my name like that" Emma said "I always feel like I must be doing something right."

Regina laughed. "I used to hate you" she said, probably a bit too honestly.

"I got that impression from all the times you tried to kill me" Emma said

"Well I didn't succeed so you're welcome" Regina replied. Emma stopped walking.

"That doesn’t even make sense” Emma said, scrunching up her face though it didn’t help her think.

"Anyway" Regina said and stumbled slightly. “I thought you were trying to steal Henry from me"

"Well let's be honest, at one point I was" Emma replied. Regina laughed.

"I know you, Regina Mills. I understand you better than anyone else here ever can.” She said wistfully, adding for good measure “I knew you just needed to get drunk tonight"

"In the enchanted forest people who turn to alcohol to hide from their problems tend to find themselves outcast but here you encourage it" Regina said

"Well not all the time, Regina. We're not doing this again tomorrow...today" she corrected, checking her watch and tripping on her own feet. Regina linked her arm for support.

"But what if I need to get drunk every night?" She asked

"You don't" Emma replied seriously "you need a friend and I'm here"

They made their way up Mifflin Street without speaking. The town was quiet and the sky was clear enough to see the stars pretty well.

"I think we're soulmates" Regina said as they approached her gate. Emma, seeing that she was not lying spluttered.

"You...w-what?" She asked

Regina turned to her with a look of confusion.

“Soulmates” Regina said again, tipping her head to one side. Emma had seen another side of her tonight, but even so she panicked at the idea that this woman who barely considered her a friend would make such a bold statement.

"Robin and I" Regina clarified after what felt to Emma like an eternity.

"Right!" she said as relief swept over her "yes, you and Robin. Do you really believe in all that?"

Regina, still confused by Emma's reaction didn't respond straight away. 

"I've been around long enough for Fate and Destiny to prove their existence to me. How do you think you got here?" Regina asked opening her front door.

"Well, our son practically kidnapped me. He momnapped me" Emma laughed to herself as she followed.

Regina was drunk, but not drunk enough to find that funny.

"Miss Swan" she said disapprovingly, which caused Emma to crack up further. She bent double in silent laughter. Regina failed miserably at keeping a straight face.

"You're coming in?" she asked, looking at Emma standing in her front hall.

"I'm not walking home all by myself" Emma said once she composed herself "in the dark!" She dramatised.

"Emma you're the sheriff, who is going to attack you?" Regina asked, climbing the stairs.

"You know there's a song about that." She said and began to sing as she followed Regina up the stairs "I shot the sherrif"

Regina opened the door to a guest bedroom, crossed her arms and leant on the frame.

"But he didn't shoot the deputy, very noble" she replied

"It is ridiculous that you know that" Emma said, standing on the opposite side of the doorway.

There was a new, sudden tension between them. They were both drunk and playful but not falling over. This whole night could have seemed like a date to anyone but the two of them. Something gripped them both though neither could put their finger on it.

"Goodnight, Saviour" Regina said with a gleam of amusement in her eye.

"Goodnight, Soulmate" Emma said as she passed Regina closely and entered the room.


End file.
